Alex Arthur, the World Boxing Organisation Interim super-featherweight champion from Edinburgh, suffered a body-blow yesterday when Billy Nelson, his Glasgow-based trainer, quit just weeks into the job, writes Jim Black.

Arthur, 29, has had a constant turnover of cornermen since parting company with Peter Harrison four years ago, including the highly respected trio of Freddie Roach, Jim McDonnell and Jimmy Tibbs.

This has led to suggestions that Arthur is difficult to work with, but Nelson was at pains yesterday to stress that the latest split has nothing at all to do with a clash of personalities.

Nelson explained: "The problem was the travelling between my home in Glasgow and Alex's gym in Edinburgh. I am employed by a residential school for boys and I found it too much going straight from nightshift to work with Alex.

"I was in danger of falling asleep on the motorway and I wasn't prepared to put my own and other peoples' lives at risk. It was purely my decision.

"Alex has a very sharp boxing brain and we achieved a lot together the first time round, but my health must come first.

"I gave Alex the option of travelling to Glasgow to train, but he did not want to do that because of the problems he had with his back previously, when he was trained by Peter and I.

"But there are no hard feelings. Alex and I get on great together and he has asked me to continue to work in his corner when he defends against Steve Foster in December."

Meanwhile, Nelson will continue to train former Commonwealth lightweight champion Willie Limond and rising young stars Kenny Anderson, Ricky Burns, Gary Young and Jason Hastie at his Viewpark gym.